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LINCOLN 

THE  FREETHINKER 

BY 
JOSEPH    LEWIS 


"The    Masterpiece    in    Marble"    by    Gut'zon    Borglum 

Abraham   Lincoln  at  the  Time  of   his   First   Inauguration   in    1860 

Made  for  the  Late  Colonel  Samuel  P.  Colt,  formerly  Chairman  United  States  Rubber  Co. 


Itxtculivt   i'ttawsum. 

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Fac-simile    (slightly   reduced)    of   the   original   draff  of    Lincoln's    Gettysburg   Address 
The   words    "Under   God"    are  not   included.     See   text   page   21. 


Lincoln  The  Freethinker 


By 
JOSEPH    LEWIS 


THE  FREETHOUGHT   PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
1658  Broadway  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Copyright,     1924 

JOSEPH  LEWIS 

All    Rights    Reserved 

1st  Large  Printing,  November,    1924 
2nd  Large  Printing,  December,   1925 


Printed   in    U.    S.    A. 


Abraham  Lincoln  was,  in  my  judgment,  in  many 
respects,  the  grandest  man  ever  President  of  the 
United  States.  Upon  his  monument  these  words 
should  be  written:  "Here  sleeps  the  only  man  in 
the  history  of  the  world,  who,  having  been  clothed 
with  almost  absolute  power,  never  abused  it,  except 
upon  the  side  of  mercy". 

Robert    G.     Ingersoll. 


Lincoln  The  Freethinker* 

I  remember  once  reading  a  statement  in  the  public  press 
that  no  person  could  be  elected  President  of  the  United  States 
unless  that  person  were  a  believer  in  the  Christian  religion.  At 
the  time  I  saw  this  statement  I  took  it  as  being  true,  because 
there  came  to  my  mind  a  story  often  told  about  Robert  G. 
Ingersoll. 

The  story  was  something  like  this : 

A  number  of  prominent  men  and  women  came  to  pay  a 
visit  to  the  celebrated  orator  and  during  the  course  of  conver- 
sation one  of  them  remarked  that  the  Colonel  had  a  magnificent 
library  which  was  no  doubt  extremely  expensive.  To  this  Inger- 
soll replied,  that  his  library  was  exceedingly  expensive  and  pos- 
sibly the  most  expensive  library  of  any  individual  in  the  world. 
The  questioner  looked  a  bit  dubious  at  the  reply  and  ventured 
that  he  thought  he  had  seen  libraries  which  cost  a  great  deal 
more  than  the  Colonel's.  In  reply  to  this,  Ingersoll  said  that 
his  library  cost  him  the  presidency  of  the  United  States. 

But  it  is  not  true  that  a  person  must,  be  a  believer  in  the 
Christian  religion  as  a  qualification,  to  hold  that  high  and  dis- 
tinguished office.  More  than  one  President  of  this  great  country 
was  a  disbeliever  in  the  Christian  plan  of  salvation,  and,  peculiarly 
so,  the  very  men  who  were  not  Christians  have  been  acknowl- 

*  Address  delivered  at  banquet  of  the  Freethinkers'  Society  of 
New  York  on  the  evening  of  February  12th,  1924,  at  Hotel  Belleclaire, 
77th    Street    at    Broadway,    New    York    City. 

(   9   ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

edged  as  the  greatest  in  that  long  list  of  illustrious  men  who 
have  received  the-  highest  gift  within  the  power  of  this  nation. 
Washington,  Jefferson  and  Lincoln,  all  unbelievers,  are  the  great 
triumvirate  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

My  effort,  and  it  is  a  labor  of  love,  is  to  show  you  to- 
night that  Lincoln,  that  sad-eyed  martyr  of  this  Republic,  was 
a  Freethinker,  "even  as  you  and  I."  But  in  proving  to  you  that 
Lincoln  was  a  Freethinker,  it  becomes  necessary  to  disprove 
the  frequent  assertion  that  he  was  a  Christian.  Under  ordinary 
circumstances  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  prove  a  man  was 
not  something  else  in  order  to  establish  what  he  was.  But  in 
the  case  of  Abraham  Lincoln  such  a  procedure  is  absolutely 
essential,  because  the  Christian  world,  in  a  shameful  disregard  of 
the  truth,  claims  an  absolute  monopoly  of  great  men. 

It  is  strange  that  very  little  effort  is  being  made  by  the 
Christian  world  to  prove  the  religious  beliefs  of  Presidents  other 
than  those  three  who  stand  so  preeminently  as  America's  greatest 
statesmen;  I  think  I  can  safely  say  that  there  are  more  volumes 
written  to  prove  Lincoln  a  Christian  than  to  prove  the  religious 
conviction  of  any  other  statesman  of  this  country.  And,  like  a  man 
that  "doth  protest  too  much,"  there  is  a  reason  for  this.  Perhaps 
they  are  believers  in  the  motto  that  if  you  tell  a  lie  often  enough 
you  will  begin  to  believe  it  yourself,  and  so  hardly  a  year  passes 
that  a  book  by  some  clergyman  proclaiming  Lincoln  a  Christian, 
is  not  issued  from  the  press. 

Last  year,  in  response  to  a  public  announcement  that  a  prom- 
inent senator  was  to  deliver  an  address  on  Lincoln,  I  attended 
this  gathering.  Through  an  unfortunate  circumstance  the  sen- 
ator was  unable  to  attend,  and  the  minister  in  charge  of  the 
ceremonies  announced  that  in  the  evening,  at  his  church,  he  would 
deliver  an  address  upon  "Lincoln,  the  Christian."     But  in  making 

(  10  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

this  announcement  he  seemed  to  apologize  for  his  liberty  in 
calling  Lincoln  a  Christian  without  the  proper  evidence  to  support 
his  contention,  and  quoted  Emerson,  by  saying:  "What  you  aire 
speaks  louder  than  what  you  say."  Under  those  conditions  you 
can  prove  anything  to  be  anything  you  want  to  prove  it  to  be. 
But  we  will  measure  Lincoln  for  not  only  what  he  said,  but  also 
for  what  he  did  not  say.  We  will  follow  the  motto  that  al- 
though "actions  speak  louder  than  words/'  only  hypocrites  say 
what  they  do  not  believe. 

In  order  to  be  a  Christian  it  is  necessary  to  believe  the  Bible  to 
be  a  divinely  inspired  book.  To  be  a  Freethinker  it  is  essential  that 
you  reject  the  Bible  as  a  revelation  from  God.  To  determine, 
then,  whether  a  person  is  a  Christian  or  a  Freethinker  should 
indeed  be  very  simple.  A  person  may  believe  in  God  and  yet 
reject  the  Bible  as  a  divine  book.  Such  a  person  cannot  be  a 
Christian  believer,  but  may  be  a  Freethinker. 

A  person  may  believe  in  the  Bible,  and  according  to  his 
particular  interpretation  be  any  one  of  the  following  divisional 
sects  of  Christianity:  Catholic,  Presbyterian,  Methodist,  Baptist, 
Episcopalian,  Congregationalist,  Seventh  Day  Adventist,  Holy 
Roller  or  Holy  Jumper. 

A  Freethinker  may  be  any  one  of  the  following:  A  Deist, 
a  Rationalist,  a  Pantheist,  a  Materialist,  an  Agnostic,  or  an 
Atheist. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  dispute,  with  any  particular  branch 
of  Christianity  that  may  claim  Lincoln  as  its  follower,  nor  classify 
him  in  any  one  of  the  subdivisions  by  which  a  Freethinker  may 
declare  himself.  It  is  my  purpose  to  disprove  that  Lincoln  was 
a  Christian,  and  with  the  produced  evidence,  to  show,  unequivo- 
cally, that  he  was  an  avowed  Freethinker. 

(   11  ) 


V.  OF  ILL  UBc 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

Evidence  may  be  true  or  false.  Proof  of  evidence  is  the 
only  test  of  its  reliability.  The  proof  of  a  statement,  without 
evidence,  depends  a  great  deal  upon  the  person  who  makes  it. 
What  ministers  say,  particularly  in  religious  controversies,  re- 
quires corroboration. 

For  a  great  many  years  it  was  impossible  to  secure  the 
"Life  of  Lincoln,"  as  written  by  his  intimate  friend  and  law 
partner,  William  H.  Herndon.  It  was  to  this  man  that  Lincoln 
on  becoming  President,  said,  that  he  wished  his  name  associated 
with  his  own  until  death.  It  seems  that  the  religious  world 
took  exception  to  this  "Life  of  Lincoln."  It  was  found  to  con- 
tain too  many  truths  that  were  not  in  harmony  with  the  notions 
of  a  number  of  clergymen. 

The  story  goes  that  every  available  copy  of  Herndon's  "Life 
of  Lincoln"  was  purchased  by  the  clergy,  some  paying  as  high 
as  one  hundred  dollars  for  a  copy.  They  did  not  spend  this 
money  for  the  book  because  of  its  intrinsic  value;  they  did  not 
want  its  facts  known  to  the  public.  For  nearly  twenty-five 
years  this  work  on  Lincoln  was  held  at  a  premium,  and  I  believe 
it  was  only  last  year,  in  response  to  an  overwhelming  demand, 
that  the  descendants  of  Herndon  decided  upon  a  republication  of 
the  volumes,  and  they  are,  fortunately,  once  more  available  to 
the  general  public. 

Herndon's  "Life  of  Lincoln"  is  conceded  by  all  fair-minded 
persons  to  be  the  most  accurate  picture  of  the  life  of  the  six- 
teenth President  of  this  country  that  has  ever  been  written.  Some 
maintain  that  Herndon  was  to  Lincoln  what  Boswell  was  to 
Johnson.  Men  prominent  in 'the  higher  walks  of  life,  members 
of  Congress,  Senators,  Judges,  members  of  the  President's  cab- 
inet, intimate  friends  and  relatives  and  even  his  wife,  testify 
that    Lincoln    was    an    unbeliever,    an    infidel,    a    Freethinker. 

(    12   ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

Strangers,  a  few  casual  acquaintances  and  a  number  of  clergy- 
men, known  and  unknown,  maintain  that  he  was  a  Christian. 
And  yet  the  two  ministers  most  intimately  acquainted  with 
Lincoln — Bishop  Simpson  and  the  Reverend  P.  D.  Gurley — do 
not  support  the  contention  of  their  more  zealous,  but  less  truthful 
fellow  "divines." 

The  weight  of  the  evidence  is  so  preponderant  in  favor  of 
Lincoln's  religious  emancipation  that  it  seems  almost  impossible 
that  anyone  could  be  so  audacious  as  to  assert  that  he  believed 
in  any  dogma  of  any  religious  denomination.  But  we  cannot 
prevent  anyone  from  saying  what  he  will,  particularly  in  re- 
ligious matters,  where  the  emotion  stronger  than  reason, 
sometimes  prompts  the  religious  fanatic  even  to  murder 
a  person  in  an  endeavor  to  "save  his  soul."  It  may  seem  a 
paradox,  and  yet  in  religious  matters  the  things  most  difficult 
of  performance  are  the  things  most  easily  believed.  And  for 
Christianity  not  to  possess  Lincoln  as  an  adherent  is  truly  a 
tragedy  for  it.  It  is  a  thrust  too  painful  to  bear.  It  is 
no  small  wonder,  then,  that  some  clergymen  have  stooped  to 
questionable  means  and  methods  in  their  endeavors  to  show  Lincoln 
to  have  been  a  member  of  their  faith.  They  did  not  seek  the 
truth.  They  strained  every  fact  to  the  breaking  point  in  their 
endeavor  to  find  some  shred  upon  which  they  might  base  their 
claim.  But,  alas !  unable  to  secure  any  truthful  evidence,  some, 
as  proof  of  their  contention,  have  said  that  Lincoln  possessed  the 
virtues  of  Patience,  Tenderness  and  Charity. 

As  though  these  were  "Christian"  virtues! 

For  ages  the  virtues  of  Christianity  were  exemplified  in  the 
heartlessness  that  murdered  a  Hypatia,  and  the  cruelty  that 
accompanied  the  Crusades ;  that  schemed  and  inflicted  the  punish- 
ment of  an  inquisition;  that  burned  a  Bruno  and  imprisoned  a 

«      (   13  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

Galileo;  that  madly  and  joyously  took  part  in  a  Massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew's  Eve,  and  that  with  due  solemnity  judicially  tried, 
and  convicted,  sentenced  and  executed  a  rooster  for  laying  eggs! 

It  requires  but  little  effort  on  the  part  of  the  unscrupulous 
to  find  witnesses  to  testify  falsely.  I  remember  distinctly  that 
when  I  first  read  the  claim  that  Thomas  Paine  recanted  I  was 
simply  overwhelmed.  I  was  not  only  convinced  that  this  brave 
and  good  man  recanted  before  he  died,  but  I  felt  certain,  from 
the  charges  brought  against  him,  that  he  had  led  a  most  profligate 
and  dissolute  life.  No  doubt  the  defamers  of  Paine  believed 
in  the  motto,  that  if  you  throw  enough  mud  a  little  of  it  will 
stick.  I  was  stunned  and  bewildered.  I  was  sore  at  heart 
to  feel  that  so  great  and  unselfish  a  man,  the  author  of  the  "Age 
of  Reason"  and  the  "Rights  of  Man,"  could  have  fallen  to  such 
miserable  depths.  But  when  I  read  IngersolFs  answer  to  the 
charges;  when  I  saw  how  he  disposed  of  each  and  every  accu- 
sation; how  he  discredited  the  witnesses;  how  he  exposed  the 
character  of  the  defamers  and  calumniators  of  Paine,  I  realized 
then  that  the  reputation  of  any  man  with  courage  enough  to 
speak  the  truth  as  he  sees  it  may  be  besmirched  if  what  he  says  is 
contrary  to  what  the  great  mass  of  people  are  led  to  believe  to  be 
the  truth. 

I  also  realized  then  that  the  statement  of  a  minister,  espe- 
cially in  a  bitter  religious  controversy,  must  be  substantiated  before 
being  accepted  as  a  verity.  But  "truth  crushed  to  earth  will 
rise  again",  and  as  it  was  with  Paine,  so  it  is  with  Lincoln. 

Were  the  Civil  War  a  failure;  had  the  Union  perished,  the 
church  would  not  be  straining  every  muscle  to  claim  Lincoln  a 
believer  in  Christianity.  Rather  they  would  "shout  from  the 
house  tops"  the  destruction  brought  upon  this  nation  by  the  in- 
sane idealism  of  this  arrogant  infidel!     All  the  horrors  of  that 

(  14  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

war  would  be  vividly  pictured  before  you.  They  would  relate 
with  glee,  how  in  early  manhood  he  had  written  a  pamphlet 
against  the  Bible  and  Christianity,  and  how,  seated  among  others 
discussing  its  points,  it  was  snatched  from  his  hands  and  thrown 
'into  the  fire.  How  they  would  dwell  upon  this  act  of  "Providence;" 
and  with  a  sanctimoniousness  becoming  only  to  Christians,  they 
would  pray  God  to  save  them  from  another  Lincoln.  Slavery 
would  still  be  the  topic  of  the  Christian  pulpit  and  the  "divine 
institution"  would  still  be  supported  by  the  Biblical  edict:  "Ser- 
vants, be  obedient  to  them  that  are  your  masters  according  to 
the  flesh,  with  fear  and  trembling." 

But  the  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  the  manuscript  that  Lin- 
coln wrote  against  the  Bible  and  Christianity  was  taken  from 
him  and  destroyed  by  a  friend  and  fellow  Freethinker,  Samuel 
Hill,  his  employer,  who  feared  the  effects  of  such  a  book  upon 
his  public  career.  His  friend  knew  the  "liberality"  of  the  religious- 
minded,  and,  fortunately  for  the  Republic,  his  manuscript  perished 
and  the  Nation  was  saved! 

When  Lincoln  ran  for  Congress  against  the  Reverend  Peter 
Cartwright,  charges  were  brought  against  him  by  clergymen  that 
he  was  an  infidel,  and  that  he  said  that  Christ  was1  an  illegiti- 
mate child.  And  not  once  did  Lincoln  deny  the  truth  of  these 
charges.  When  asked  why  he  did  not  deny  them,  Lincoln  said 
he  did  not  do  so  for  two  reasons :  First,  he  knew  the  charges 
to  be  true;  and  second,  they  could  be  easily  proved. 

Galileo  became  a  heretic  when  he  questioned  the  truth  of 
Joshua's  influence  upon  the  sun.  Were  Charles  Darwin  a  Chris- 
tian, the  "Origin  of  Species"  would  never  have  seen  the  light 
of  day,  and  William  Jennings  Bryan  would  have  been  denied  the 
great   opportunity   of   making   a   monkey   of    himself.      And  if 

(   15  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

Abraham  Lincoln  zvere  a  Christian,  the  emancipation  of  the  Negro 
slaves  would  never  have  entered  his  mind! 

Slavery  is  just  as  much  a  fundamental  part  of  Christianity 
as  is  the  Virgin  Birth.  To  contradict  one  is  just  as  serious  as 
to  deny  the  other.  Leviticus,  Chapter  25  Verses  44  to  46,  is  just 
as  much  part  of  the  Bible  as  are  the  Ten  Commandments.  If 
one  is  "inspired"  so  is  the  other,  and  I  quote  the  former : 

"Both  thy  bondmen  and  thy  bondmaids,  which  thou  shalt  have,  shall  be 
of  the  heathen  round  about  you;  of  them  ye  shall  buy  bondmen  and  bondmaids. 
Moreover,  of  the  children  of  the  strangers  that  do  sojourn  among  you, 
which  they  begat  in  your  land ;  and  they  shall  be  your  possession.  And  ye 
shall  take  them  as  an  inheritance  for  your  children  after  you,  to  inherit  them 
for   a   possession ;    they    shall    be    your   bondmen    forever." 

The  following  quotations  from  the  New  Testament  require 
the  same  belief  and  acceptance  from  Christians  as  does  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ.     I  quote  Timothy,  Chapter  1,  Verse  1 : 

"Let  as  many  servants  as  are  under  the  yoke  count  their  masters  worthy 
of   all   honor." 

And  Titus,  Chapter  2,  Verse  9 : 

"Exhort   servants    to   be   obedient   to    their    masters." 

As  proof  that  the  emancipation  of  the  Negro  slaves  was 
opposed  by  the  Christian  Church,  I  need  but  quote  the  testimony 
of  the  celebrated  divines  of  that  time. 

The  Reverend  Alexander  Campbell  said :  "There  is  not  one 
verse  in  the  Bible  inhibiting  slavery,  but  many  regulating  it. 
It  is  not  then,  we  conclude,  immoral." 

The  Reverend  E.  D.  Simms,  professor,  Randolph-Macon 
College,  wrote:  "The  extracts  from  Holy  Writ  unequivocally 
assert  the  right  of  property  in  slaves." 

The  Reverend  R.  Furman,  D.D.,  Baptist,  of  South  Carolina, 

(   16  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

said:      "The   right   of    holding   slaves   is    clearly   established    in 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  both  by  precept  and  example." 

The  Reverend  Thomas  Witherspoon,  Presbyterian,  of 
Alabama,  said:  "I  draw  my  warrant  from  the  Scriptures  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments  to  hold  the  slave  in  bondage." 

The  Reverend  Nathan  Lord  (what  an  authoritative  name!), 
president  of  Dartmouth  College,  said:  "Slavery  was  incor- 
porated into  the  civil  institutions  of  Moses;  it  was  recognized 
accordingly  by  Christ  and  his  apostles.  They  condemned  all  in- 
ter meddlers  with  it." 

The  Reverend  Taylor,  principal  of  the  Theological  Depart- 
ment of  Yale  College  (and  he  certainly  ought  to  know,)  said: 
"I  have  no  doubt  that  if  Jesus  Christ  were  on  earth,  he  would, 
under  certain  circumstances,  become  a  slaveholder."  And  I  want 
to  say  here  and  now  that  I  agree  absolutely  with  the  Reverend 
Taylor. 

And  Lincoln  himself  said:  "All  the  powers  of  the  earth 
seem  rapidly  combining  against  the  slave,  Mammon  is  after  him — 
and  the  theology  of  the  day  is  fast  joining  in  the  cry." 

But  the  most  striking  illustration  of  history,  showing  the 
close  connection  between  the  Bible  and  slavery,  is  the  fact  that 
when  the  Revolutionists  of  France — Freethinkers  all — rejected  the 
Bible  as  a  state  book  of  authority,  they  also  abolished  slavery 
throughout  the  French  possessions.  And  when  the  monarchist 
government  came  back  into  power,  and  the  church  regained  con- 
trol of  the  government,  the  Bible  again  became  a  state  book  of 
authority  and  the  institution  of  slavery  was  re-established. 

To  show  the  close  connection  between  the  belief  in  the  Bible 
and  the  institution  of  slavery  I  need  but  mention  the  fact  that 
when  a  bill  was  introduced  in  Parliament  to  abolish  slavery  in 

(   17  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

the  British  Empire,  Lord  Chancellor  Thurlow  characterized  the 
move  as  "miserable  and  contemptible"  and  as  being  "contrary  to 
the  word  of   God." 

And  I  repeat  and  re-emphasize,  that  it  was  utterly  impossible 
for  Abraham  Lincoln  to  be  a  believer  in  the  Bible,  and  be  the 
author  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation. 

A  Christian  believes  the  Bible  to  be  the  infallible  word  of 
God.  He  believes  that  all  the  knowledge  necessary  to  his  well- 
being,  happiness  and  immortality  is  contained  therein.  To  ques- 
tion its  precepts  is  heresy  to  him.  It  is  because  of  this  belief 
that  Christianity  has  to  its  credit  the  Dark  Ages.  To  doubt,  to 
investigate,  to  improve,  to  advance,  is  a  principle  contrary  to  the 
doctrines  of  religion.  "Prove  all  things,  hold  fast  to  that  which 
is  true,"  means  to  the  religious-minded  only  what  the  Bible  says 
is  true.  Whatever  is,  is  best,"  is  the  brake  upon  the  wheel 
of  progress.  "God's  will"  is  the  stereotyped  answer  to  all  that 
is.  If  Lincoln  were  a  Christian  he  would  have  accepted  the 
Negro's  plight  in  life  as  in  accordance  with  the  "divine  plan"  as 
enunciated  by  the  "Holy  Bible." 

It  was  because  Lincoln  was  not  bound  by  any  creed,  not 
hampered  by  any  religious  belief,  that  he  felt  that  the  mark  of 
the  vicious  lash  upon  the  tender  skin  was  not  and  could  not  be 
right  by  divine  sanction,  and  for  that  reason  he  waged  the  most 
just  war  in  humanity's  heroic  struggle  for  freedom.  "In  giving 
freedom  to  the  slave,  we  assure  freedom  to  the  free,"  is  the 
statement  that  no  believer  in  the, Bible  could  utter. 

Even  those  clergymen  who  claim  that  Lincoln  accepted  Chris- 
tianity in  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  admit  that  in  early  man- 
hood he  was  an  infidel.  His  first  law  partner,  John  T.  Stewart, 
said:     "Lincoln  was  an  avowed  and  open  infidel,  and  sometimes 

(   18  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

bordered  on  Atheism.     He  went  farther   against  Christian  be- 
liefs, doctrines  and  principles  than  any  other  man  I  ever  heard." 

The  impression,  now  being  created  in  the  minds  of  our  school 
children,  that  Lincoln's  only  sources  of  knowledge  were  the  Bible 
and  Pilgrim's  Progress  is,  in  view  of  the  facts,  a  deliberate  and 
malicious  falsehood.  Lincoln  was  a  reader  and  lover  of  Voltaire, 
Volney  and  Paine,  and  was  not  satisfied  with  being  enlightened 
himself,  but  informed  others  of  what  he  had  found  out.  He 
thought  it  miserly  to  keep  that  knowledge  to  himself  and  was 
zealous  in  his  heresy.  He  argued  and  talked  for  that  which  he 
had  discovered  to  be  true.  It  is  said  that  he  never  tired  of  reading 
Paine;  and  I  ask,  who  does  tire  of  reading  him?  Who  can  read 
the  "Age, of  Reason"  without  being  convinced  by  its  logic? 

Oh,  what  a  valuable,  what  a  priceless  copy  of  the  "Age  of 
Reason"  it  was  that  fell  into  the  hands  of  Abraham  Lincoln! 
The  germ  of  Lincoln  the  Emancipator  was  planted  when  he  read 
these  liberty-loving  books.  And  friends,  as  a  gentle  reminder, 
if  you  have  a  son  whom  you  would  like  to  see  develop  into  an- 
other Lincoln,  you  cannot  better  equip  him  than  by  giving  him 
the  same  mental  food  upon  which  Abraham  Lincoln  thrived. 

Lincoln's  belief  in  "God"  or  "Providence"  prompted  him 
to  say:  "Friends,  I  agree  with  you  in  Providence,  but  I  be- 
lieve in  the  Providence  of  the  most  men,  the  largest  purse  and 
the  longest  cannon." 

The  use  of  the  word  "God"  has  a  thousand  interpretations 
and  does  not  reveal  the  religious  belief  of  the  person  using  that 
word.  The  manner  in  which  Lincoln  used  the  word  "God"  in 
his  immortal  papers  should  be  sufficient  proof  that  he  had  no 
faith  in  the  generally  accepted  sense  of  that  word.  I  think  the 
following  incident  as  related  by  Herndon  should  settle  for  all 
time  the  significance  of  the  use  of  the  word  'God'  by  Lincoln. 

(  19  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

"No  man  had  a  stronger  or  firmer  faith  in  Providence  than  Lin- 
coln, but  the  continued  use  by  him  late  in  life  of  the  word  'God' 
must  not  be  interpreted  to  mean  that  he  believed  in  a  personal 
God.  In  1854  he  asked  me  to  erase  the  word  'God'  from  a 
speech  I  had  written  and  read  to  him  for  criticism,  because  my 
language  indicated  a  personal  God,  whereas,  he  insisted,  no  such 
personality  existed." 

Herndon  goes  farther  and  says:  "If  Lincoln  were  asked 
whether  he  believed  in  God,  he  would  have  said :  'I  do  not  know 
that  a  God  exists.'  " 

Lincoln's  two  most  important  documents,  the  Emancipation 
Proclamation  and  the  Gettysburg  Address,  were  originally  written 
with  the  idea  of  God  completely  left  out.  It  is  an  historical  fact 
and  noteworthy  to  us  that  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  was 
written  and  printed  by  Lincoln  before  he  consulted  the  members 
of  his  cabinet.  When  he  called  them  into  conference  he  handed 
each  a  copy,  and  asked  them  for  any  suggestions.  One  member, 
the  Honorable  Salmon  P.  Chase,  after  reading  it,  stated: 

"Mr.  Lincoln,  this  paper  is  of  the  utmost  importance — greater  than  any- 
state  paper  ever  made  by  this  government.  A  paper  of  so  much  importance, 
and  involving  the  liberties  of  so  many  people,  ought,  I  think,  to  make  some 
reference  to  the   Deity.     I  do  not  observe  anything  of   the   kind  in  it." 

"No,  I  overlooked  it,"  replied  Lincoln.  "Won't  you  make  a 
draft  of  what  you  think  ought  to  be  inserted?" 

And  the  following  words  as  suggested  by  the  Honorable 
Salmon  P.  Chase  were  inserted  in  the  proclamation: 

"I  invoke  the  considerate  judgment  of  mankind  and  the 
gracious  favor  of  Almighty  God." 

No  doubt  a  similar  circumstance  was  responsible  for  the 
words"under   God"  being  put  into  the   Gettysburg  Address   as 

(   2CP  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

the  original  draft  of   the  address   makes   no  mention   of   these 
words.* 

We  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  Lincoln  was  the 
most  misunderstood  and  hated  man  of  his  day.  There  were  con- 
spirators in  every  branch  of  the  Government,  and,  it  has  been 
intimated,  even  in  his  own  cabinet.  We  must  not  judge  him 
for  what  he  permitted  others  to  do  in  order  to  accomplish  his 
glorious  undertaking,  and  if  the  churches  of  his  day  were  ready 
to  strike  him  down  on  the  slightest  provocation,  the  oversenti- 
mental  references  to  "God"  in  his  messages  can  be  readily  under- 
stood and  are  of  little  importance. 

When  chided  about  his  Thanksgiving  messages  as  being  con- 
trary to  his  known  convictions  on  the  subject,  Lincoln  said  to 
Judge  James  N.  Nelson :  "Oh !  this  is  some  of  Seward's  nonsense 
and  it  pleases  the  fools !"  Lincoln  knew  the  power  of  the  church's 
hostility,  and  was  a  compromiser  in  the  sense  that  he  believed  in 
"doing  a  little  harm  for  a  great  good,"  particularly  so  when  the 
end  meant  the  liberation  of  thousands  of  human  beings  from  the 
bondage  of  slavery.  To  the  church,  it  is  more  important  to  crush 
the  infidel  than  to  add  a  step  of  progress  to  civilization  and  for  that 
reason,  while  president,  Lincoln  was  reticent  in  public  upon  the 
question  of  religion.  By  this  act  of  discretion  he  carried  the 
nation  safely  through  the  most  trying  period  of  its  history 

It  is  very  curious  indeed,  that  if  Lincoln  were  a  Christian, 
as  some  say,  nowhere  in  any  of  his  writings  does  there  appear  a 
single  solitary  mention  of  Jesus  Christ.  In  his  public  addresses, 
official  documents  and  his  private  correspondence,  never  once  did 
he  express  a  belief  in  any  doctrine  that  would  even  remotely 
claim  him  as  a  Christian.  On  the  contrary,  his  personal  conver- 
sations were  such  as  unhesitatingly  to  classify  him  an  avowed 

*  See    fac-simile    reproduction    en    page    4. 

(    21    ) 


LINCOLN   THE   FREETHINKER 

Freethinker.  And  yet  some  have  the  impudence  to  say  that  on 
the  presentation  of  a  $500  Bible,  which  some  misguided  Negroes 
of  Baltimore  gave  him  as  a  token  of  gratitude,  he  is  quoted  as 
saying : 

"In  regard  to  the  great  book  I  have  only  this  to  say,  that  it  is  the 
best  gift  which  God  has  given  to  Man.  All  the  good  from  the  Saviour  of  the 
world  is  communicated  to  us  through  this  book.  But  for  this  book  we  could 
not  know  right  from  wrong.  All  those  things  desirable  to  man  are  contained 
in   it." 

This  statement  is  a  lie,  the  enormity  of  which  I  am  unable 
to  express.  To  say  that  Lincoln  said  this  is  too  ridiculous  for 
notice,  and  yet  when  uttered  by  a  clergyman  it  is  taken  to  be 
true.  It  is  utterly  impossible  that  Lincoln,  who  openly  doubted 
the  truth  of  the  Bible  and  questioned  the  legitimacy  of  the  birth 
of  Christ,  should  utter  such  a  puerile  statement,  especially  to  a 
group  of  people  representing  a  race  that  had  been  so  mercilessly 
subjected  to  a  condition  of  servitude  because  of  the  Bible's 
precepts.  Out  of  courtesy,  Lincoln  may  have  thanked  the  little 
group  of  well-meaning  Negroes  for  their  gift,  yet  thinking  in 
his  heart  what  fools  they  were  to  take  $500  of  their  hard-earned 
money  and  waste  it  upon  the  very  instrument  that  was  the  greatest 
obstacle  in  their  struggle  for  emancipation. 

More  likely,  sad-hearted  Lincoln  felt,  if  he  did  not  actually 
say:  "What  fools  you  are;  here  I  am  striving  with  all  the 
energy  I  possess,  with  the  resources  of  a  great  nation,  sacrificing 
thousands  of  lives,  the  very  flower  of  the  Republic,  to  liberate 
you  from  the  chains  of  slavery,  and  here  you  are  presenting  me 
with  a  Bible,  a  book  that  has  held  the  minds  of  men  in  mental 
slavery  for  over  a  thousand  years  and  has  caused  more  mischief 
and  heartache,  and  agony  and  hatred  and  bloodshed  than  any 
other  instrument  in  the  world.  Go ;  you  are  now  physically  free ; 
strive  for  mental  emancipation." 

(  22  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

Regarding  this  supposed  speech  to  the  group  of  Colored  Peo- 
ple, permit  me  to  quote  Herndon  concerning  it: 

"I  am  aware  of  the  fraud  committed  on  Mr.  Lincoln  in  reporting  some 
insane  remarks  supposed  to  have  been  made  by  him,  in  1864,  on  the  presentation 
of  a  Bible  to  him  by  the  colored  people  of  Baltimore.  "No  sane  man  ever  uttered 
such  folly  and  no  sane  man  will  believe  it.  In  that  speech  Mr.  Lincoln  is  made 
to  say :  'but  for  this  book  we  could  not  know  right  from  wrong.'  Does  any 
human  being  believe  that  Lincoln  ever  uttered  this?  What  did  the  whole  race 
of  Man  do  to  know  right  from  wrong  during  the  countless  years  that  passed 
before  the  book  was  written?  How  did  the  struggling  race  of  Mankind  build 
up  it's  grand  civilization  in  the  world  before  this  book  was  given  to  Mankind? 
What  do  the  millions  of  people  now  living,  who  never  heard  of  this  book,  do 
to  know  how  to  distinguish  right  from  wrong?  Was  Lincoln  a  fool,  an  ass,  a 
hypocrite,  or  a  combination  of  them  all?  Or  is  this  speech — this  supposed,  this 
fraudulent  speech — a   lie/" 

Herndon's  characterization  of  this  supposed  speech  of  Lin- 
coln to  the  negroes  of  Baltimore  as  a  lie  is  the  only  term  that 
can  properly  be  applied  to  it.  It  only  goes  to  prove  to  what  lengths 
people  will  go  in  their  desperation  to  prove  a  false  contention. 

But  one  lie  begets  another  and  the  great  task  before  us  is 
to  disprove  them  and  halt  their  circulation.  I  believe  it  was 
Mark  Twain — another  Freethinker,  by  the  way — who  said  that 
a  lie  could  get  into  circulation  and  around  the  world  before  truth 
had  time  to  put  on  its  shoes.  While  Lincoln  was  alive  no  one 
presumed  to  call  him  a  Christian.  His  enemies  took  particular 
delight  in  referring  to  him  as  an  infidel.  And  now  that  he  is 
dead,  we  take  it  .upon  ourselves  to  defend  his  infidelity,  if  you 
please.  And  when  I  hear  the  word  "hinder  used  as  anathema,  I 
feel  like  answering,  with  all  the  sauciness  of  a  child:  "Sticks 
and  stones  will  break  my  bones,  but  names  will  never  hurt  me." 

Abraham  Lincoln  is  no  less  Abraham  Lincoln  because  he 
was  a  Freethinker.  In  fact,  many  of  the  world's  greatest  gen- 
iuses and  benefactors  have  been  Freethinkers.  And  it  seems  to 
me  a  very  difficult  thing  sometimes  to  determine  whether  a  person 

(  23  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

is  a  genius  because  he  is  a  Freethinker  or,  a  Freethinker  because 
he  is  a  genius. 

For  years  there  has  been  circulated  by  the  religious  forces 
a  picture  of  Lincoln  with  his  son  Tad  standing  beside  him.  Both 
are  looking  at  a  large  book  which  Mr.  Lincoln  has  in  his  lap. 
This  picture  is  generally  captioned:  "Lincoln  Reading  the  Bible 
to  His  Son."  On  close  examination  the  book  is  discovered  to  be 
a  picture  album.  And  in  a  recent  issue  of  a  magazine  in  which 
this  picture  appeared,  Ida  M.  Tarbell  is  the  authority  for  the 
statement,  that  when  this  picture  of  Lincoln  was  taken  he  issued 
this  injunction:  "Now  don't  let  anybody  entitle  this  picture,  'The 
President  Reading  the  Bible  to  His  Son.'  '  How  well  have  the 
religious  forces  carried  out  his  wishes! 

The  following  explanation  from  the  Boston  Globe  has  an 
interesting  bearing  upon  this  point. 

"The  pretty  little  story  about  the  picture  of  President  Lincoln  and  his  son 
Tad,  reading  the  Bible,  is  now  corrected  for  the  one  hundredth  time.  The 
'Bible'  was  Photographer  Brady's  picture  album  which  the  President  was  ex- 
amining with  his  son  while  some  ladies  stood  by.  The  artist  begged  the  President 
to  remain  quiet  and  the  picture  was  taken.  The  truth  is  better  than  fiction, 
even  if  the   recital  conflicts   with  a   pleasing   theory." 

If  the  religious  forces  will  go  so  far  as  to  declare  that  a 
picture  album  is  a  Bible,  what  kind  of  other  evidence  would  you 
expect  them  to  present  in  order  to  prove  their  claim. 

How  can  anyone  say  that  Lincoln  believed  in  the  Bible  when 
he  so  aptly  characterized  the  religious  forces  of  both  the  North 
and  the  South,  by  saying:  "Both  read  the  same  Bible  and  pray 
to  the  same  God,  and  each  invokes  his  aid  against  the  other." 
The  opinion  of  the  church  element  toward  Lincoln  and  the  reason 
for  its  opposition  can  best  be  told  by  Lincoln  himself.  In  1843 
Lincoln  desired  a  nomination  for  Congress  and  did  all  in  his 
power  to  secure  it.     The  opposition  toward  him  was  growing 

(  24  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

stronger  and  stronger  and  in  a  letter  to  some  of  his  constituents 
he  wrote  as  follows: 

"The  strangest  combination  of  church  influence  was  against  me.  Baker, 
(his  opponent)  was  a  Campbellite,  and  therefore  got  all  that  church.  My 
wife  has  some  relations  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  some  with  the  Episco- 
palian churches,  and  therefore  whenever  it  -would  tell,  I  was  set  down  as  either 
ONE  OR  THE  OTHER,  while  it  was  everywhere  contended  that  NO  CHRISTIAN 
ought  to  vote  for  me  because  I  BELONGED  TO  NO  CHURCH  and  zvas  suspected 
as  being  a  deist." 

On  another  occasion  he  is  quoted  as  having  made  this  laconic, 
and  all  too  significant  statement:  "The  Bible  is  not  my  book, 
nor  Christianity  my  profession." 

The  Honorable  David  Davis,  a  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  Illinois,  at  the  time  that  Lincoln  was  a  practicing  attorney, 
and  who  was  Lincoln's  intimate  friend  and  adviser,  and  who 
later  became  a  Supreme  Court  judge  of  the  state  of  Illinois — 
a  United  States  Senator — a  Vice-President  of  the  United  States 
and  finally  a  member  of  that  august  body,  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States,  has  something  to  say  regarding  Lincoln's 
beliefs.  The  intimacy  between  Lincoln  and  Judge  Davis  was 
such  a  bond  of  friendship  that  upon  Lincoln's  death  Judge  Davis 
was  chosen  by  common  consent  to  be  administrator  of  his  estate. 
Few  men  of  this  country  have  been  held  in  higher  esteem  by  his 
contemporaries  than  was  Judge  Davis.  Surely  his  years  of  as- 
sociation, his  friendship  and  his  intimacy  with  Lincoln  qualify 
him  to  testify  to  Lincoln's  religious  convictions.  Judge  Davis 
says :  "Lincoln  had  no  faith  in  the  Christian  sense  of  the  term 
— he  had  faith  in  law,  principles,  causes  and  effects." 

Recently  there  appeared  in  this  city  a  magnificent  production 
of  a  play  by  John  Drinkwater,  entitled,  "Lincoln."  In  that  play 
Lincoln's  life  was  beautifully  portrayed,  with  the  exception  of 
one  particularly  great  blunder,  a  blunder  that  adds  little  credit 
to  the  playwright.     In  this  play  Lincoln  is  shown  in  a  humiliating* 

(  25  ) 


LINCOLN   THE   FREETHINKER 

position,  and  despite  a  letter  from  me  correcting  this  falsity,  the 
scene  remained  unchanged.  In  this  play  Lincoln  is  made  to  fall 
upon  his  knees  in  prayer.  I  emphatically  state  that  no  evidence 
exists  that  the  grown  Abraham  Lincoln  ever  prostrated  himself 
in  prayer.  The  scene  is  a  lie  and  belongs  in  the  same  category 
as  that  of  Washington  praying  at  Valley  Forge.  We  need  no 
better  proof  of  the  falsity  of  this  scene  regarding  Lincoln  than 
Lincoln  himself  when  he  said:  "What  is  to  be  will  be,  and  no 
prayers  of  ours  can  arrest  the  decree." 

In  every  great  crisis  there  are  always  religious  fanatics  who 
have  spoken  directly  to  God,  and  who  are  directed  by  God  to 
deliver  certain  messages.  The  Civil  War  was  no  exception, 
and  Lincoln  was  not  free  from  such  annoyers.  It  is  said  that 
Lincoln,  more  than  any  other  President,  was  constantly  pestered 
by  clergymen  with  advice  from  "divine  sources."  He  controlled 
his  temper  only  because  of  his  sympathy  for  the  mentally  de- 
ranged. To  indicate  his  attitude  toward  such  people  I  will  quote 
his  words  of  contempt  for  them: 

"I  am  approached  with  the  most  opposite  opinions  and  advice,  and  by 
religious  men  who  are  certain  they  represent  the  Divine  Will.  I  hope  it  will 
not  be  irreverent  in  me  to  say,  that  if  it  is  probable  that  God  would  reveal 
His  will  to  others,  on  a  point  so  connected  with  my  duty,  it  might  be  supposed 
He   would   reveal   it   directly    to   me." 

On  another  occasion  a  woman  came  to  see  Lincoln,  claiming 
that  God  sent  her  to  deliver  His  message  of  advice  to  him,  he 
caustically  replied  to  her  as  only  a  Freethinker  would: 

"I  have  neither  the  time  nor  disposition  to  enter  into  a  discussion  with 
the  Friend,  and  will  end  this  occasion  by  suggesting  to  her  the  question,  whether, 
if  it  be  true  that  the  Lord  has  appointed  me  to  do  the  work  she  has  indicated, 
is  it  not  probable  that  he  would  have  communicated  knowledge  of  the  fact 
to  me  as  well   as   to  her?" 

It  is  sometimes  very  difficult  to  determine  properly  whether 
these  "very  religious  people"  are  not  fit  subjects  for  the  lunatic 

(  26  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

asylum,  and  I  wonder  if  this  thought  was  in  Lincoln's  mind 
when  he  said:  "When  an  individual  in  a  church,  or  out  of  it, 
becomes  dangerous  to  the  public  interest  he  must  be  checked." 

Lincoln's  real  opinion  of  the  clergy  may  be  gathered  from 
one  of  his  anecdotes  which,  it  is  said,  he  delighted  to  repeat: 

"Once  in  Springfield,  I  was  off  on  a  short  journey,  and  reached  the 
depot  a  little  ahead  of  time.  Leaning  against  the  fence  just  outside  the  depot 
was  a  little  darky  boy,  whom  I  knew,  named  Dick,  busily  digging  with  his 
toe  in  a  mud  puddle.  As  I  came  up  I  said :  'Dick  what  are  you  about  ?'  Said 
he,  'Making  a  church.'  Said  I,  'What  do  you  mean?'  'Why,  yes,'  said  Dick, 
pointing  with  his  tee,  'don't  you  see,  there  is  the  shape  of  it,  there's  the  steps 
and  the  front,  here's  the  pews,  where  the  folks  set  and  there's  the  pulpit.' 
'Yes,  I  see,'  said  I,  'but  why  don't  you  make  a  minister?'  'Laws'  answered  Dick, 
with  a  grin,   'I   hain't  got   MUD   enough   for   dat.'  " 

During  the  course  of  my  address  I  mentioned  the  fact  that 
during  the  latter  years  of  his  life  Lincoln  did  not  engage  in 
prayer.  I  want  to  correct  that  statement.  I  want  to  retract  it. 
For  I  do  find  that  he  did  indulge  in  this  form  of  religious  exercise. 
While  at  the  White  House  some  one  came  to  pay  him  a  visit.  A 
terrific  storm  was  raging.  It  was  raining  and  thundering  with 
fearful  intensity.  His  visitor  found  himself  unable  to  leave. 
Lincoln  reflected  for  a  moment  and  with  solemn  reverence  said : 
"O  Lord,  if  it's  all  the  same  to  you,  give  us  a  little  more  light  and 
a  little  less  noise."  On  another  occasion  Lincoln  prayed  to  God 
with  deep  and  reverent  devotion,  that  He  put  stockings  on  the 
chicken's  feet  in  winter. 

More  significant  than  anything  that  might  be  said  by  others 
on  the  subject  of  Lincoln's  religious  belief  is  the  attitude  of 
Lincoln  himself  toward  religion.  The  mere  fact  that  he  did  not 
become  a  member  of  any  church  is  alone  sufficient  to  silence  for- 
ever any  charge  that  he  was  a  Christian  believer. 

Lincoln  weighted  down  with  the  pains  and  burdens  of  the 
bloody  struggle  of  the  Civil  War  and  with  Death  constantly  star- 

(  27  ) 


LINCOLN   THE  FREETHINKER 

ing  him  in  the  face,  uttered  the  most  important  and  striking  testi- 
mony to  his  lifelong  disbelief.  It  is  irrefutable!  In  answer  to  a 
letter  from  Judge  J.  A.  Wakefield,  an  old  friend,  inquiring  and 
hoping  that  he  had  changed  the  infidel  opinions  and  convictions 
of  his  early  manhood,  Lincoln  wrote — and  it  is  significant  that 
this  letter  was  written  after  the  death  of  his  son  Willie: — 

"My  earlier  views  of  the  unsoundness  of  the  Christian  scheme  of  salvation 
and  the  human  origin  of  the  scriptures,  have  become  clearer  and  stronger  with 
advancing  years  and  I  see  no  reason  for  thinking  /  shall  ever  change  them.''' 

He  emphatically  denied  the  existence  of  Hell  and  with  equal 
fervency  said  that  if  there  were  a  God  all  would  be  saved  or  none. 
Lincoln  certainly  was  not  as  godly  as  Jehovah,  but  his  humanity 
was  a  thousand  times  greater.  He  delighted  in  repeating  this 
homely,  yet  philosophic  epitaph : 

"Here   lies   poor   Johnny   Kongapod, 
Have   mercy  on  him,  gracious   God, 
As  he  would  do   if  he  were   God 
And   you   were   Johnny    Kongapod." 

Other  evidence,  equally  striking  and  abundant  can  be  adduced 
further  to  disprove  the  clergy's  claim;  but  enough,  I  think,  has 
been  presented  to  settle  beyond  the  peradventure  of  a  doubt  that 
Lincoln  was  not  a  Christian  believer.  And  yet  of  the  utmost 
significance  is  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  a  member  and  reg- 
ular attendant  of  the  Christian  church  and  that  Lincoln  rarely  at- 
tended the  services  with  her.  And  like  a  thunderbolt  to  the  heart 
of  the  Christian  world,  Mrs.  Lincoln  herself  testifies  that  her  illus- 
trious husband  and  America's  greatest  President  was  a  disbeliever 
in  the  Christian  religion.  Mrs.  Lincoln  says:  "He  never  joined  a 
church.  He  was  not  a  technical  Christian.  He  had  no  hope  or 
faith  in  the  usual  acceptation  of  those  words." 

No  effort  of  mine  is  needed  to  establish  Lincoln's  place  in  the 
glittering  galaxy  of  the  world's  great  immortals  and  humanitarians 

(  28  ) 


LINCOLN   THE   FREETHINKER 

and  if  there  is  a  resting  place  for  those  who  have  passed  on,  he 
is  happily  in  company  with  Voltaire,  Paine  and  Ingersoll.  In 
lauding  Lincoln  as  a  Christian  example,  the  church  makes  its  own 
weapon  and  stabs  itself  with  the  very  instrument  it  would  use 
against  us. 

Abraham  Lincoln  belonged  to  no  sect ;  he  professed  no  creed ; 
he  was  truly  an  American !  We  honor  him  as  one  of  the  foremost 
statesmen  of  this  country. 

We  honor  him  as  the  Preserver  of  our  Republic. 

We  honor  him  as  the  Great  Emancipator,  and  we  honor  our- 
selves when  we  honor  him  as  a  fellow  Freethinker. 


(   29   ) 


LINCOLN   THE   FREETHINKER 


APPENDIX 


Since  the  publication  of  "Lincoln  the  Freethinker"  there  has 
been  a  widespread  controversy  regarding  the  authenticity  of  the 
famous  Bixby  letter  which  Lincoln  was  supposed  to  have  written 
to  Mrs.  Lydia  Bixby,  of  Boston,  offering  his  condolence  on  the 
loss  of  her  five  sons  in  the  Civil  War,  and  in  which  he  refers  to 
"our  Heavenly  Father." 

The  true  facts  now  brought  to  light  concerning  this  letter 
are :  that  five  sons  of  Mrs.  Bixby  were  not  killed  in  the  Civil  War, 
but  only  two  sons ;  that  almost  every  circumstance  connected  with 
the  writing  of  this  letter  is  now  a  matter  of  much  speculation  and 
doubt;  that  the  men  responsible  for  making  the  alleged  facts 
public  have  been  proved  to  be  of  questionable  veracity,  and  that 
the  original  letter  (if  Lincoln  ever  wrote  such  a  letter,  which  I 
doubt  very  much)  is  not  in  existence! 

"Facsimiles  are  abundant  and  though  they  vary  slightly,"  as 
stated  by  Dr.  William  E.  Barton,  in  defense  of  the  genuineness  of 
this  letter,  is  to  me  conclusive  evidence  that  the  "Bixby  Letter" 
is  but  another  pious  fraud  perpetrated  upon  our  martyred  Presi- 
dent. For  how  would  it  be  possible  for  facsimiles  that  "vary 
slightly"  to  be  made  from  an  original  letter  if  it  were  not  in 
existence?  Furthermore,  if  such  letter  ever  existed,  how  could 
facsimiles  that  "vary  slightly"  be  made  from  it,  if  they  were  fac- 
similes? 


(  30  ) 


REFERENCES: 

Herndon,    William    H.       Abraham    Lincoln. 
D.    Appleton    and    Co.       New    York. 

Lamon,    Ward    H.      The    Life    of    Abraham    Lincoln. 
James    R.    Osgood    and    Co.       Boston. 

Remsburg,     John    E.         Six     Historic    Americans. 
Truth-Seeker    Co.       New    York. 


NEW7   The   Religion  of  Jefferson 


What  Joseph  Lewis  has  accomplished  in  his  remarkable 
book  on  Lincoln,  he  repeats  with  equal  force  fulness  in  this 
brochure,  newly  printed,  on  Thomas  Jefferson.  You  will  surely 
find  this  brochure  a  fascinating  exposition  of  the  uncertain 
facts  which  still  surround  the  great  author  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  the  Bill  of  Rights,  and  the  Virginia  Statute 
of  Religious  Liberty. 

Every  American  should  read  this  illuminating  narrative  of 
that  great  Republican  and  champion  of  Democratic  ideals. 

"Jefferson  the  Freethinker"  is  a  revelational  pamphlet  of 
16  pages  printed  in  clear  type  on  sepia  stock.  A  copy  will  be 
sent  you  prepaid   for  only   10c. 


THE    FREETHOUGHT    PUBLISHING    CO.,  Inc. 
1658  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


LINCOLN  THE  SOLDIER 

JOSEPH  LEWIS 

(Address    delivered    over    Station    W.G.B.S. February    12,     1925) 


No  one  will  deny  the  courage  of  the  uniformed  soldier  who 
goes  forth  to  battle.  Neither  will  any  one  withhold  from  him  the 
credit  and  respect  to  which  he  is  entitled. 

But  not  all  soldiers  wear  uniforms.  Neither  do  all  soldiers  die 
upon   the  battle-fields   'mid   shot  and   shell. 

There  are  soldiers  who  do  not  know  how  to  operate  a  gun; 
who  do  not  go  forth  to  battle  amid  the  beating  of  drums,  the  wav- 
ing of  flags  or  the  cheering  of  people. 

There  are  soldiers  who  fight,  not  upon  the  battle-fields,  but 
upon  the  field  of  thought.  Upon  the  battle-field  there  is  somewhat 
of  an  eual  contest.  Man  power  can  be  met  with  man  power  and 
destructive  explosives  with  devastating  projectiles.  But  infinitely 
more  courage  and  superior  ammunition  are  required  to  do  battle  in 
the  larger  arena  of  human  action. 

The  progress  of  mankind  has  been  one  bitter  struggle  against 
the  forces  of  reaction;  a  battle  of  herculean  effort  against  invisible 
and  deadly  enemies. 

On  the  battle-field,  the  roaring  of  guns  and  the  bursting  of  shells 
are  a  signal  that  the  enemy  is  approaching  and  preparation  is  made 
by  the  defending  army  to  withstand  the  attack;  but  in  the  battle  for 
human  progress,   the  enemy  gives  no  such  signs   of  approach. 

Ignorance,  Hatred,  and  Superstition  are  the  malignant  enemies 
of  the  human  race.  These  vicious  enemies  do  not  fight  in  open  fields. 
They  do  not  fight  fairly.  With  them  equal  combat  is  unknown.  Their 
victories  are  won  in  the  dark.  Stealth  and  hypocrisy  are  their 
weapons. 

Thousands  have  died,  millions  have  died  in  mortal  combat  upon 
the  battle-fields  in  defense  of  their  country,  in  defense  of  their  homes, 
in  behalf  of  liberty. 

And  thousands,  yes  millions,  have  died  in  that  grand  army  of 
human  progress, — soldiers  in  the  army  of  Science,  of  Art,  of  Medi- 
cine, of  Invention  and  Discovery,  and  in  the  Army  of  Justice  and 
Freedom. 

The  world  is  ever  ready  to  do  homage  to  the  soldier  upon  the 
battle-field.  But  in  the  realm  of  human  progress  it  is  lamentably  true 
that  only  too  often  does  the  gallant  soldier  receive  rebuke  and  cal- 
umny   for   his    reward. 

Seldom,  in  his  own  day,  does  the  soldier  who  fights  for  liberty 
taste  the  fruits  of  his  victory. 

Abraham   Lincoln,   the  Soul   of  America,    was   a   soldier   in   both 
of  these  armies.     He  donned  a  uniform,  shouldered  a  gun,  and  marched 
to  battle  in  defense  of  his  country.      He  suffered  the  hardships  and  en- 
Copyright,     192.".,    bv    Joseph     Lewis. 


dured  the  trials  of  a  soldier's  life.  As  captain  of  a  regiment  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War  in  1832,  Lincoln  acquitted  himself  with  honor.  And 
upon  his  return  from  battle  he  received  the  plaudits  of  his  countrymen. 

War  brutalizes  our  natures  and  hardens  our  hearts;  it  warps  our 
thoughts  and  makes  us  callous  to  the  sufferings  of  human  life. 

But  Lincoln  never  permitted  war  to  harden  his  heart  nor  stunt 
his  feelings.  He  was  possessed  of  a  rare  love  for  humanity.  His  kind- 
liness knew  no  bounds  and  his  honesty  was  so  wide-spread  that  he 
was  affectionately  known  as  "Honest  Abe."  There  were  many  who 
chided  him  for  his  "softheartedness,"  but  Lincoln  was  LINCOLN  and 
was  not  to  be  swayed   from  his  convictions. 

Lincoln's  soul  was  touched  with  the  kinship  of  life  by  the  magic 
wand  of  a  mother's  love.  To  Lincoln  his  mother  was  his  Star  of  Hope, 
his  Rainbow  of  Life,  the  myriad-colored  arch  that  ever  beckoned  him 
to  "carry  on."  Lucky  indeed  is  the  child  whose  mother  inspires  him 
with  humanitarian  ideas  and  thoughts  and  with  the  urge  that  he  may 
so  live  that  when  he  passes  on,  the  world  will  be  better  for  his  having 
lived. 

Lincoln  never  forgot  the  lowliness  from  which  he  came  and  it 
was  the  memory  of  his  hardships  which  caused  him  never  to  abuse 
his  power  except  on  the  side  of  mercy. 

You  remember  the  case  of  William  Scott?  While  Scott  was  on 
sentry  duty,  after  a  strenuous  day  of  fighting,  and  exhausted  from 
the  wear  and  tear  of  battle,  his  strength  failed  him  and  he  fell  pros- 
trate upon  the  ground.  When  discovered  by  another  soldier  and 
awakened,  it  was  revealed  that  he  was  dreaming  of  his  mother,  and 
that  she  had  awakened  him  to  remind  him  of  his  duty  as  a  soldier! 

But  in  time  of  war,  excuses  for  being  asleep  while  on  sentry  duty 
are  not  acceptable  or  valid,  and  Scott  was  taken  to  his  superior  officer, 
tried  by  court-martial,   convicted   and  condemned   to  be  shot! 

The  case  was  brought  to  Lincoln's  attention.  His  heart  was 
touched.  He  could  not  make  himself  believe  that  the  boy  was  a  traitor, 
and  ordered  his  release.  You  know  what  followed:  Scott  died  fight- 
ing valiantly  for  the  cause! 

On  another  occasion  a  woman  went  to  the  White  House  and 
begged  an  audience  with  the  President.  Her  husband  had  been  cap- 
tured, tried,  convicted  and  was  to  be  shot.  Lincoln  consented  to  see 
her.  She  told  her  story  and  pleaded  with  the  President  to  suspend 
judgment.  Lincoln  asked  her  whether  her  husband  was  a  good  man 
and  whether  he  treated  her  children  kindly.  She  replied  that  he  was  a 
good  husband  and  a  good  father  and  that  the  family  could  not  live 
without  him.  She  said  he  was  a  fool  about  politics  and  if  she  ever 
got  him  home  he  would  do  no  more  fighting  for  the  South.  "Well," 
said  Lincoln,  "I  will  pardon  your  husband  and  turn  him  over  to  you  for 
safe  keeping."  The  poor  woman,  overcome  with  joy,  sobbed  as 
though  her  heart  would  break.  "My  dear  woman,"  said  Lincoln, 
"if  I  had  known  how  badly  it  was  going  to  make  you  feel,  I  never 
would  have  pardoned  him."  "You  don't  understand,"  cried  the 
woman  between  her  sobs.  "You  don't  understand,  Mr.  Lincoln." 
"Yes,  yes,  I  do,"  answered  the  President,  "and  if  you  do  not  go 
away  at  once   I  shall  be  crying  with  you." 


In  our  thoughts  of  Lincoln  let  us  not  forget  that  he  was  a  human 
being,  born  just  as  you  and  I  were  born.  Only  that  his  hardships 
were  immeasurably  greater  than  ours,  his  difficulties  far  more  num- 
erous. He  had  to  struggle  for  everything  he  possessed.  He  had  no 
teachers.  He  was  self-taught.  Tramping  through  the  woods  for  six 
miles  to  borrow  a  grammar  is  an  indication  of  his  thirst  for  knowledge 
and  the  obstacles  he  overcame  to  acquire  it. 

He  had  an  unquenchable  desire  to  learn.  A  burning  urge  to 
accomplish.  This  urge  prompted  him  to  read  every  book  he  could  get. 
He  was  once  asked  what  he  was  reading,  and  he  replied:  "I'm  not 
reading — I'm  studying.'*  He  was  particularly  fond  of  controversies. 
He  loved  an  argument.  He  was  never  satisfied  unless  the  sparks 
flew  in  the  discussions.  "Hew  to  the  block,  let  the  chips  fly  where 
they  will,"  was  his  motto.  And  fortunately  this  trait  of  Lincoln's 
broke  down  all  barriers  and  prejudice  in  seeking  knowledge.  He  was 
carried  on  the  wave  of  Rationalism  which  swept  this  country  in  the 
Forties.  This  brought  him  in  contact  with  the  writings  of  Voltaire, 
Volney  and   Paine.      They  were  his  intimates. 

Voltaire  had  shot  his  bolts  at  the  caste  system  of  Europe  and 
the  chains  began  to  fall   from  the  minds  and  bodies  of  men. 

Thomas  Paine  was  the  first  man  on  the  American  continent  to 
raise   his   voice   in   behalf   of   the   negro   slaves. 

Fired  by  these  men  with  the  love  of  Liberty  and  human  rights, 
Abraham  Lincoln  entered  the  Army  of  Progress. 

I  see  him  on  a  flat  boat  navigating  down  the  Mississippi  River.  I 
see  him  arrive  at  New  Orleans.  I  see  him  in  company  with  two  friends 
come  upon  the  market  place.  I  see  him  watch  the  sale  of  a  negro 
slave  girl.  I  see  him  rebel  at  the  revolting  scene.  As  the  girl  is 
examined  by  her  bidders,  her  flesh  pinched,  her  form  displayed,  her 
nudity  exposed,  I  see  his  sad  face  become  more  sorrowful,  I  see  him 
clench  his  fist,  and  with  a  quiver  in  his  voice,  and  an  oath  upon  his 
lips,  utter  this  statement:  "If  I  ever  get  a  chance  to  hit  that  thing 
(meaning  slavery),    I'll  hit  it  hard." 

On  his  return  to  Springfield  I  see  him  enter  the  political  arena 
with  a  short  but  crude  declaration  only  to  be  concluded  by  that  ever- 
lasting  monument   to   his   name,    the   Emancipation    Proclamation. 

I  now  see  him  competing  for  public  office.  I  see  him  defeated, 
halted  in  his  march.  But  defeat  and  discouragement  were  words  not 
to  be  found  in  Lincoln's  vocabulary.  When  questioned  concerning 
his  defeat  he  said  he  felt  like  the  boy  who  was  too  big  to  cry  and 
too  hurt  to  laugh.  Determination  was  the  quality  of  Lincoln's  char- 
acter and  he  knew  that  "the  harder  the  struggle  the  more  glorious  the 
triumph,"  and  so  we  see  him  overcoming  the  obstacles  which  had 
beset  his  path. 

We  now  see  him  in  his  famous  debates  with  Douglass,  deter- 
mining whether  the  nation  can  remain  "half  slave  and  half  free,"  and 
whether  "a  house  divided  against  itself  can  stand."  And  in  this 
struggle  let  us  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  Lincoln  received  the 
brunt  of  the  battle.  He  was  the  most  misunderstood  and  hated  man 
of   his   day.      The   people   did   not   welcome   the   economic   and    social 


changes  which  he  advocated.  The  vilest  of  arguments  were  used 
against  him.  Arguments  now  known  to  be  utterly  ludicrous.  He 
was  vilified.  He  was  slandered.  The  churches  of  his  day  opposed 
him  and  bigotry  supported  their  contention.  Let  us  take  a  lesson 
from  the  way  Lincoln  was  treated  and  be  not  too  ready  to  dismiss 
a  new  idea  or  condemn  a  new  proposal. 

In  his  fight  for  human  emancipation  he  met  the  bitterest  foes 
of  battle.  But  not  once  did  he  falter,  not  once  did  he  swerve.  He 
had  tasted  battle  as  a  soldier  fighting  for  human  rights  against  an 
institution  whose  only  strength  was  that  it  was  supported  by  "divine 
right."  But  Lincoln  knew  that  man  had  no  property  right  in  man, 
and  that  the  marks  of  the  vicious  lash  upon  the  tender  skin  were  not 
and  could  not  be  right  by  divine  sanction,  and  that  the  damnable 
institution  of  slavery  was  a  living  lie  against  our  sacred  Declaration 
of  Independence! 

We  see  Lincoln  gaining  in  his  struggle.  We  see  a  convention 
assembled.  We  see  him  nominated  for  President  by  an  almost 
unanimous  acclamation!  We  see  him  at  the  head  of  the  Republic, 
Commander-in-Chief  of  its  army,  to  determine  "whether  this  nation, 
or  any  nation  conceived  in  liberty  and  dedicated  to  the  proposition 
that  all  men  are  created  equal  can  long  endure!" 

We  see  him  appealing  for  support — appealing  to  the  nation's 
men  to  fight  the  battle  of  freedom.  After  many  anxious  and  un- 
certain moments  we  hear  the  murmur  of  footsteps  and  the  beating 
of  drums  and  the  welcome  exclamation:  "We  are  coming  Father 
Abraham,  we  are  coming  300,000  strong!" 

And  we  see  Lincoln,  this  giant  of  a  man,  who  was  too  big  to 
cry  and  too  hurt  to  laugh,  weeping  for  joy  at  the  triumph  that  3,000,- 
000  human  beings  were  to  be  released  from  the  shackles  of  bondage; 
weeping  for  joy  that  the  American  Flag,  the  dearest  emblem  in  all 
the  world,  was  to  rise  once  more  over  a  united  nation  without  a 
blemish  and  without  a  stain! 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  soldier  upon  the  battle-field  to  carry  the 
flag  of  the  country  for  which  he  fights,  and  if  perchance  he  is  shot 
and  wounded  and  falls,  another  soldier  must  lift  it  from  his  hands 
and  carry  it  high  to  battle,  and  this  was  the  task  delegated  to  Lincoln. 
He  carried  the  flag  of  freedom  which  the  American  Revolutionists 
had  given  to  Washington,  and  just  as  victory  was  won,  just  as  he 
crossed  the  line  with  the  flag  waving  high,  this  grand  man,  this  soldier 
of  the  Republic,  this  Liberator,  was  struck  down  in  battle  and  died 
that  millions  might  be  free! 

Upon  the  grave  of  Lincoln,  the  military  soldier,  let  us  drop  flowers 
of  gratitude  and  upon  the  brow  of  Lincoln  the  Emancipator,  the 
soldier  in  the  Army  of  Liberty,  let  us  place  a  wreath  as  a  symbol  of 
the  everlasting  love  and  thanks  of  the  human  race. 


